"After about ten minutes more, the mate reported the scuppers
running with blood in the regular manner. Then, and not till then,
did old Pedro give orders to board. That was why he was the prince
of pirates,--it was his attention to details, to the little things
that make up the difference between a real pirate and a mere sea-
thief. You can see what an inheritance the third Pedro had,--how
he was brought up to reverence the best traditions of his calling.

"They laid the 'Angel' alongside the Spanish galleon, and grappled
the two vessels together. Old Pedro led the boarding party, and
when they got to the poop-deck of the galleon they found the
Spanish captain, the first mate, and the cabin-boy waiting for
them with cutlasses. The three Pedros, father, son, and grandson,
engaged them according to rank, and finished them off at the same
moment. The rest of the Spanish crew had been subdued in the
meantime, and it only remained to make them walk the plank, then
transfer the treasure to 'The Angel of Death,' and sail away,
leaving 'El Espiritu Santo' on fire, so she would blow up when the
fire reached her powder magazine.

"When the officers were killed, and the crew and passengers of the
galleon were lined up on deck, awaiting their fate, old Pedro
strode down from the poop-deck, wiping his cutlass.

"'Now,' he said, knowing that all eyes were on him, 'we'll feed
'em to the sharks!'

"And he roared: 'Fetch out The Plank!'

"There was a pause. No one moved.